


Balsam

by starr_falling



Series: to seek a newer world [8]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Shire, Domestic, Fluff, GFY, Hobbit Big Bang 2016, Hobbit Story, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6904720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starr_falling/pseuds/starr_falling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lobelia is quite done with all the speculation about Bilbo and Thorin's children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balsam

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [hobbitstory](http://hobbitstory.livejournal.com/).
> 
> Amazing [artwork](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6779185) made by the lovely [penumbria](http://archiveofourown.org/users/penumbria). Awesome [artwork](http://scheissedraws.tumblr.com/post/144666242021/to-seek-a-newer-world-by-starrfalling-after-the) made by the also lovely [scheissedraws](http://scheissedraws.tumblr.com/).

Lobelia sniffed as she passed the Bolgers' youngest daughter. Surely someone must have pointed out to her before now that red truly was not her color. And yet Daisy persisted in wearing it at every opportunity.

“Lobelia!” Lobelia stiffened in dread but dutifully turned around when her name was called out again.

“Yes, Great Aunt Myrtle?” If there was one thing Lobelia regretted about marrying into the Baggins family, it was Great Aunt Myrtle. Even Bilbo–disgrace that he was–was less odious than Otho's elderly aunt.

“Have you seen them yet?” Myrtle asked baldly as she huffed her way to Lobelia's side. Judging by how red faced she was, she had already sampled the ciders Bilbo and Thorin had set out for the party.

“No,” Lobelia pressed her lips together to keep from snapping. Myrtle always did have a way of picking the one thing you truly didn't wish to speak of. “No one's seen the newest members of the Baggins clan yet. Even the Thain was rebuffed when he came to visit.”

Nearly everyone in Hobbiton and a few farther flung relatives besides, had shown up to bring food to celebrate the births and try to see the faunts but no one had been admitted.

It'd been three weeks since anyone had seen hide or hair of Bilbo or his dwarf, the wilting birthing garden the only explanation needed for their disappearance.

But not even Belladonna herself had secluded her family for this long after Bilbo was born and the Tooks–and Belladonna in particular–were rather well known to be grossly overprotective of their children.

But finally, after nearly two weeks, an invitation to the naming party of Bilbo and Thorin's children had arrived. That was the only thing that had kept Lobelia from storming Bag End. Of course the party, and the children it was being held in honor of, was all any could talk of that week.

Honestly, Lobelia was quite ready to move on to something else. Anything else.

Like her new dress. She'd bought it on her last trip to Bree and had been saving it for a special occasion. She doubted either Bilbo or Thorin would realize it, though they at least could be excused on the grounds of having babies on the brain. But the rest of Hobbiton had no such excuse and she'd not gotten nearly as many compliments as she should have.

She sniffed again as she despaired over her neighbors' provincial tastes and tuned out Myrtle’s droning voice.

A sudden shift in the crowd, followed by a hush, caught Lobelia's attention. She turned toward the tent set up under the Party Tree, thankful for the excuse to ignore Myrtle.

Standing before the gathered crowds were Bilbo and his dwarf. Each carried one little bundle of joy.

  
Art by [penumbria](http://archiveofourown.org/users/penumbria)  


“Thank you for coming today,” Bilbo's voice rang out over the crowd. “I'd like to formally introduce you to our daughters, Violet Baggins,” Bilbo shifted to reveal a fair haired faunt. “And Líli Baggins, daughters of Thorin.”

Thorin presented the second child, whose hair was as dark as his own.

A cheer went through the crowd, loud and uncouth. Not surprising given the number of Tooks attending. Violet and Líli took offense to the sound and started crying. Bilbo laughed as he hushed his daughter but Thorin looked on the verge of violence. Lobelia suspected that if his hands weren't full of faunt, he'd have made his displeasure painfully obvious.

As Lobelia made her way across the field for a closer look, she kept an ear on the tenor of the conversations around her. Everyone seemed happy and happy for the couple. There were many remarks about how lovely the girls were. The only problem Lobelia could foresee was many of the hobbits' inability to pronounce little Líli's name correctly.

Honestly, anyone who bothered to listen would know it wasn't _Lily_.

But as Lobelia finally approached the couple, she put that aside to consider later. Instead, she focused all her attention on her newest little cousins.

“Congratulations,” Lobelia said as she arrived at their sides. “They're beautiful.”

It was true. Líli was as dark haired as Violet was fair and they both had the deep blue eyes that most newborns have. Violet's nose might be a bit on the large side but at least it was straight. The wide sparkling eyes and round faces they both shared more than made up for it. Their hair was already thick and curly and the abundant fluff on their feet was quite respectable.

They were disgustingly adorable.

“And I don't see a lick of hair where it shouldn't be,” Lobelia felt the need to add, trying to counter act the way her mind tried to melt into a mass of cooing nonsense.

“And their ears are properly pointed, too.” Bilbo's tone was sly, as was the glance he shot his husband out of the corner of his eye. When he turned his attention back to Lobelia they shared a smirk.

“And they seem properly sized as well,” Lobelia pointedly didn't look at Thorin as she spoke. “We can only hope they stay that way.”

“We can only hope,” Bilbo's voice was far too amused. Thorin's only reply was a vague grunt. If he wasn't looking down at his family with such obvious adoration, Lobelia would feel compelled to take offense.

But, just this once, she'd let it go.

  
  
Art by [scheissedraws](http://scheissedraws.tumblr.com)  


**Author's Note:**

> Balsam (Impatiens) – impatience


End file.
